The grittiness and simplicity of Tree is what gets me. This isn't to say however that Tree is unpolished or basic. What I am getting at is there aren't any excesses in their music. Tree's new release Splitting Branches reflects a deliberateness applied to every aspect of their sound. I enjoy the rough around the edge quality that accents Nickell's voice and artful verse recitation. Go listen to "Pieces of What" by MGMT after Tree if you don't get what I am talking about.
Now for some background. Tree is the moniker of 19 year old bay artist, Oliver Nickell. Showing some ambition Nickell put together Tree Collaborations, a rotating art collective based out of San Francisco. Tree Collaborations bridges the fields of music, art, film, animation, and even fashion. Hit up their website. A testament to the the collectives creativity is the music video for "Tully" below. In the future look for a Splitting Branches remix compilation. Additionally, the debut EP will drop in April containing an undisclosed cover of one of Tree's favorite groups. In the meantime, Splitting Branches will be looping here at Bochi as I am sure it will be for a lot of you. We have a lot to look forward to from Tree and his collective.
Astronauts, Etc.
Astronauts, Etc. has returned with a new original titled "Sideswiped." Supermelodic Pulp was the last we heard from Astronauts (with the exception of a few recent covers) and marked one of the more significant releases of the fall. The EP contained "You Can Yell" and "Mystery Colors," which both deservedly received solid coverage in the blogosphere. 22 year old Berkeley student Anthony Ferraro is the man behind Astronauts, Etc. In addition to Astronauts, Ferraro is a part of The Lawlands and Ash Reiter. In customary fashion Ferraro released an accompanying video that compliments the single extremely well. The calming cityscape of San Francisco meshes well with the Ferraro's voice. A haunting, brilliant single from Astronauts, Etc. that expands on his already impressive repertoire.
The West
The West delivers an uplifting tune with "Wild Hearts." The West are comprised of a strong front-woman and as band member Brandon Leslie says, "a few guys to balance out the mix." The chorus of "Wild Hearts" boasts a catchy hook that proves difficult to resist mouthing along. The West have recently released a self-titled EP and have a video with director Danny Iglesias (The Neighbourhood) lined up for the summer. In a scene and genre where it becomes difficult to distinguish one indie group from another, The West firmly establish themselves through thoughtful songwriting and a bit of infectious twang.
Derbyshire's Haiku Salut have just released an animated video for "Glockelbar." The last feature we ran on the trio praised the release of "Los Elefantes." "Glockelbar" stems from the same, tranquil vein that has come to represent Haiku Salut. They land somewhere between Message to Bears and Múm . According to the trio, their newest "chronicles the race to death using only an accordion, a glockenspiel and a glitch plug-in." The video, animated and produced by Mitsuo Toyama , portrays a sleeping boy greeted by a giraffe at his window before being taken on a sleepy ride through the cosmos. I couldn't help but be reminded of the Little Prince. Both "Los Elefantes" and "Glockenbar" are featured on the new album, Tricolore . Do yourself and the band a favor by picking it up here !
An opening disclaimer: All the creative juice has been sucked from my soul over the couple of days, and I have not felt particularly inclined to write much. I think this is owed to my exiting from the honey moon phase of my experiences in Morocco as I am realizing that the cultural differences are rather profound. Might also be owed to some nostalgic moments looking towards home while listening to my favorite childhood bands, Sum 41 and Blink 182. I have to say I have never loved these bands more than right now. With all of this said, the write-ups will be a bit shorter this week owing to my dearth of energy. The best submissions for this past week include The Underachievers, Eeleye, and An Escape Plan. The Underachievers Part of the Beast Coast movement, the Underachievers have enjoyed some recent success with "The Madhi" and their signing with the cross-coast Flying Lotus label. Part of the 17-track mixtape, Indigioism , "The Madhi" surprisingly i...
Photo Credit: leeds-list.com For only ₤22.50, Live at Leeds has to be one of the cheapest prominent music festivals out there. Combined with a stellar line-up and an absence of ques, LAL makes for a pleasant and low key weekend festival. A few complaints aside, it made for one of the more memorable weekends of the past year. Georgia Thursting I began the day at A Nation of Shopkeepers not really knowing what to expect. I had heard a track or two of Georgia Thursting, the Leeds College of Music standout, but was not sure how it would translate to the stage. The gig was intimate, filled with a wide-variety of age groups, though a significant portion of the audience seemed to be fellow students at the university. Thursting, a specimen of modesty, spoke few words between songs, and quiet words at that. This first gig gave me a glimpse of the painful feeling of a show being cut too short that I would continue to feel throughout the day. Thirty minutes was not nearly enough ti...
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